Can opener having a removable hand lever releasably retained by a pivotal latch

ABSTRACT

An electrically powered can opener has a cutter wheel carried on a removable hand lever pivoted to the front surface of the upright can opener frame. In a first embodiment, a pivotal latch mounted on the rear surface of the upright frame is urged by a tension spring to engagingly retain an elongate pin extending from the hand lever and through an opening in the frame. When the hand lever is pivoted to an extreme position beyond its normal operating environment, a stud extending therefrom pivots the latch from engagement with the pin so that the hand lever may be removed from the frame. In a second embodiment the stud extends forwardly from the latch through a slot in the frame. As the hand lever is pivoted to an extreme position, the heel portion thereof contacts the stud and pivots the latch from engagement with the pin. A third embodiment is similar to the first with the exception that the tension spring is replaced by a spring washer which biases the latch against movement.

United States Patent 1191 McLean I 1451 Mar. 25, 1975 CAN OPENER HAVING A REMOVABLE HAND LEVER RELEASABLY RETAINED BY A PlVOTAL LATCH [75] Inventor: Robert E. McLean, Raytown, Mo.

[73] Assignee: Rival Manufacturing Company,

Kansas City, Mo.

[22] Filed: May 17, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 470,913

52 u.s.c1. 30/411, 16/171 51 1111.121 B67b 7/38 58 Field 61 Search 30/4 R, s, 8.5, 9, 15,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1962 Smith 30/4 R 3/1972 Scott 30/4 R Primary Examiner-Al Lawrence Smith Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith Attorney, Agent, or Finn-Lowe, Kokjer, Kircher g/BE.

[57] ABSTRACT An electrically powered can opener has a cutter wheel carried on a removable hand lever pivoted to the front surface of the uprightcan opener frame. 1n a first embodiment, a pivotal latch mounted on the rear surface of the upright frame is urged by a tension spring to engagingly retain an elongate pin extending from the hand lever and through an opening in the frame. When the hand lever is pivoted to an extreme position beyond its normal operating environment, a stud extending therefrom pivots the latch from engagement with the pin so that the hand lever may be removed from the frame. In a second embodiment the stud extends forwardly from the latch through a slot in the frame. As the hand lever is pivoted to an extreme position, the heel portion thereof contacts the stud and pivots the latch from engagement with the pin. A third embodiment is similar to the first with the exception that the tension spring is replaced by a spring washer which biases the latch against movement.

9 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTED MAR 2 5 I975 SHEEI18l2 PATENTED MR2 5 I975 sun-:1 a GE 2 Y L/B BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to electrically powered can openers and particularly to those having removable hand lever which carry the cutting elements.

The various advantages of removable hand levers are pointed out in the Scott US. Pat. No. 3,520,056, entitled Removable Hand Lever Construction, which issued on July 14, 1970, and which is owned by the same assignee as the instant application. In existing can openers with removable hand levers, the lever is typically retained on the can opener frame by a latch that is operated by the depression of a push button or similar structure connected to the latch. Since the manipulation of a push button may sometimes be inconvenient, the present invention provides a unique lever and latch structure in which the installation and removal of the lever is facilitated.

It is therefore a feature of the invention that the hand lever is removed from the can opener frame by simply rotating it beyond its normal operating range and pulling same forwardly from the frame. In a first embodiment of the invention, a plate-type latch. member is pivoted to the rearward surface of the upright front frame panel and spring biased to a latching position wherein it securely retains the elongate pin member about which the hand lever pivots. As the lever is swung to an extreme position, a stud extending therefrom through an arcuate slot in the frame panel engagingly pivots the latch a short distance to a release position wherein the latch is disengaged from the pin member and the lever may be removed from the frame for cleaning or other purposes. To reassemble the lever on the frame, the pin and rod members are partially inserted in their respective frame openings and the lever is again swung to an extreme position to pivot the latch and thereby permit full insertion of the pin member in the frame aperture. When the hand lever thereafter returns to its normal operating environment the spring biased latch returns to its latching position to movably lock the lever on the frame.

A second embodiment of the invention provides a latch having the stud extending forwardly therefrom through an elliptical slotin the-front frame panel. The extreme pivoting of the hand lever about its elongate pin member c auses its heel portion to engage the stud and thereby pivot the connected latch to its release position wherein the pin member may be withdrawn from the frame aperture. The reassembly of the hand lever on the frame is accomplished by inserting the pin member partially into the frame aperture and thereafter swinging the lever to its extreme position to cause its heel portion to engage the forwardly extending stud. Since the latch is thereby pivoted away from the frame aperture, the pin member may be fully inserted into the aperture. As the lever swings back to its normal operating position, a spring pivots the latch to the latching position to secure the lever on the front surface of the can opener frame.

A third embodiment is similar to the first except that in place of the tension spring which biases the latch of the first embodiment toward its latching position, the third embodiment includes a spring washer to yieldably retain the latch in any position to which it is pivoted.

The lever is removed from the can opener frame in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The reassembly of the lever on the frame comprises inserting the pin member and stud in their respective frame openings with the lever in an extreme pivotal position and thereafter returning it to its normal operating position as the stud pivots the latch to its latching position by cumming action.

An important object of this invention is to provide in a can opener of the type having a cutting element carried into and out of cutting position by a hand lever pivoted to the can opener frame, an improved hand lever assembly which is easily removable and replaceable on the can opener frame. As previously suggested, it is a significant feature of the invention that the lever may be removed from the frame by simply positioning it correctlythereon and without the need for tools, push buttons, or any other special equipment. Furthermore, the first two embodiments permit the lever to be assembled on the frame without requiring orientation of it in any particular rotative position as the pin member is inserted into the frame aperture.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a can opener of the character described, a uniquely constructed latch member which securely retains the hand lever in its operating environment yet readily releases the lever for removal from the frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a can opener of the character described, a latch member which is pivotally mounted on the rearward surface of the front frame panel and which cooperates with the hand lever in an improved manner. The provision of a pivotal latch presents a durable structure wherein the wear on the mating parts is reduced and the interference of the latch with the operation of the hand lever is minimized.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, a latch member in a can opener of the character described, which is prevented from inadvertently releasing the hand lever during normal operation of the can opener.

Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the. accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are employed to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a power operated can opener having a removable hand lever assembly constructed in accordance with the invention, the broken line view showing the hand lever pivoted from its normal operating position to an extreme position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the upper left hand portion of the front can opener frame panel shown in FIG. 1, with the hand lever removed therefrom;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the front can opener frame panel shown in FIG. 2, with the pivotal latch member shown in the latching position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, partially sectional, side elevational view of the front can opener frame panel shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary rear elevational view similar to FIG. 3, but with the pivotal latch member shown in the release position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a second embodiment of a power operated can opener having a removable hand lever, with the broken line view showing the hand lever pivoted from its normal operating position to an extreme position;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the front can opener frame panel shown in FIG. 6, with the latch member shown in the latching position;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary rear elevational view similar to FIG. 7, but with the pivotal latch member shown in the release position:

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along line 9-9 of FIG. 6 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the front can opener frame panel of a third embodiment of the invention showing the pivotal latch member thereof in the latching position; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along line 11-11 of FIG. 10 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and initially to FIGS. 1 through 5 thereof, the upright body or frame of a typical electrically powered can opener 10 is generally designated by reference numeral 10a. This frame is secured to and cooperates with an open front boxlike casing 10b to provide support for various operative components of the can opener.

A serrated or toothed rotary feed wheel 12 is operatively located on the forward side of the front frame panel 10a. Feed wheel 12 is carried on the forward end of a shaft 14 which extends horizontally through front panel 100 and is rotatably supported in a suitable bearinged aperture in an embossed portion 15 (FIG. 4) of panel 10a. The rearward end of shaft 14 connects centrally to a large gear 16 located within the box-like casing of the can opener. A conventional electric motor (not shown) is appropriately connected to drive gear 16 and thereby rotates feed Wheel 12 in a normal manner.

A can piercing hand lever 18 carrying a cutter wheel 20 thereon is constructed to be pivotally mounted forwardly of front frame panel 10a to provide a movable support for the cutter wheel. The hand lever includes an integral handle portion 18a at the right side thereof (when viewed from the front), a portion of which extends rearwardly from the top of the lever and is oriented substantially horizontally. Cutter wheel 20 is mounted obliquely on the forward surface of lever 18 for free rotation on the usual stud or arbor 22 anchored to an embossed portion 23 of the lever. A compression spring 24 circumscribes arbor 22 between boss 23 and cutter wheel 20 to bias the cutter wheel forwardly while a screw 25 retains the cutter wheel on the arbor.

Hand lever 18 is secured to an elongate pin assembly extending through a suitably sized aperture in the lower left hand portion of the lever (see FIG. 1 As best seen in FIG. 4, the forwardly extending portion of the pin assembly includes a cylindrical rod-like projection 26 which functions as a can guide. The portion of the pin assembly extending rearwardly from lever 18 includes a circular flange 28 abutting the rear surface of the lever. A nut 29 is threaded onto can guide portion 26 and against the forward surface of the lever'tocooperate with flange 28 in securing the pin assembly in the proper location on the lever. The rearwardly extending portion of the pin assembly comprises a generally shaftlike pin member 26a terminating rearwardly in a tapered end portion 26b and having an annular groove 26c defined in its surface slightly forwardly of the tapered end.

An elongate, cylindrical stud 30 also projects rearwardly from lever 18 at a location slightly above and to the left of the pin assembly (as viewed in FIG. 1). The forward end of stud 30 is extended through a suitably sized aperture in the lever and is rigidly secured therein, preferably by hot-heading the head portion 30a of the stud.

Frame has a circular aperture 32 (FIG. 2) extending horizontally therethrough and sized to receive pin member 26a This aperture is provided with a bearing surface to permit free rotation of the pin member therein. Aperture 32 is located in the lower right hand portion of an irregularly shaped boss 33 extending slightly forwardly from frame 10a near the upper portion thereof. A rearwardly recessed counterbore 34 is formed in the portion of the boss surrounding aperture 32 and is of circular configuration to receive and accommodate rotational movement of flange 28. Extending through frame 10a at a location to one side of aperture 32 is an arcuate slot 35, the upper part of which extends into the left hand portion of boss 33. Slot 35 is sized to permit longitudinal movement of stud 30 therein and its curved edges are formed concentrically with aperture 32. A second boss 36 in the shape of a parallelogram extends forwardly from the frame at a location to the right of boss 33.

Lever 18 is mounted for pivotal movement on the front frame panel by rotatably positioning pin member 26a in aperture 32 and inserting stud 30 through the arcuate slot 35. Since the distance from pin 26a to stud 30 is equal to the distance between aperture 32 and slot 35, it is apparent that the pivoting of lever 18 about pin 26a carries stud 30 up and down within slot 35. It should be noted that the installed lever 18 seats rearwardly upon bosses 33 and 36, which have forward bearing surfaces to facilitate the pivotal movement of the lever.

A latch member 38 in the form of a substantially upright, irregularly shaped plate is mounted for limited pivotal movement adjacent frame aperture 32 on the rearward surface of frame 10a to cooperate with the aperture in releasably retaining pin member 26a therein. A shoulder screw 39 extends through an aperture in latch 38 near its bottom edge and is threaded into the frame panel to pivotally mount the latch. Screw 39 thereby maintains the lower portion of the latch adjacent frame panel 10a, yet permits the latch to pivot upon the frame panel. The upper portion of latch 38 has a short arcuate slot 38a formed therethrough. A second shoulder screw having a rearwardly projecting cylindrical stud portion 40 extends through slot 38a and is threaded into frame 10a to maintain the upper portion of latch 38 adjacent the frame panel and limit the pivotal movement of the latch by engagement with the ends of slot 38a. A tension spring 41 is utilized to yieldably-bias the latch to its extreme clockwise position (FIG. 3) wherein stud 40 engages the left edge of slot 38a. The bottom end of spring 41 is hooked through an aperture in an arm 38b extending rearwardly from the lower end of the latch. while the upper endof the spring is securely hooked in an annular groove formed in the rearward portion of stud '40.

Cut through an intermediate portion of latch 38 is a compound opening 42 having an irregular contour. As viewed in FIGS. 3 andS, opening 42 includes a small semicircular notch 42a in its upper left portion and a larger semicircular notch 42b in its lower right portion. A substantially straight edge 420 extends upwardly a short distance from the left side of notch 42b, while the right edge 42d of the opening has a smoothly curved contour matching that of the arcuate slotj35.

Inoperation, the hand lever 18 is mounted for pivotal movement 'on the frame by-'aligning pin member 26a with aperture 32 and stud 30 with a portion of arcuate slot 35 and pushing the lever rearwardly with the pin and rod entering their respective frame openings. When the'tapered end portion-26b of the pin member engages the portion of the latch surrounding notch 42a (which is retained in the FIG. 3 position by spring 41), further rearward movement of the lever is precluded because of the small size of the notch. At this point the rearward end of the elongate stud 30 extends rearwardly through opening 42 of the latch. The lever is then swung to the extreme clockwise position of FIG. 5, whereby stud 30 is moved downwardly withinarcuate slot 35 to engage the straight edge 420 of latch 38 and pivot the latch counterclockwise about its pivot screw 39 to the FIG. 5 position. Notch 42a of the latch is thereby moved away from aperture 32 to the release position of FIG. 5, and pin member 26a may be fully inserted into the aperture with its annular groove 260 in alignment with the latch. As the lever isthen allowed to swing counterclockwise from its extreme FIG. 5 position, stud 30 no longer retains'latch 38 in its FIG. 5 release position, and the force exerted by spring 41 returns the latch to its latching position (FIG. 3) wherein the notch 42a thereof registers in groove 26c of the pin member. The portion of the .latch surrounding notch 42a is thereby moved into engagement with pin member 26a within the annular groove to securely retain the pin member in aperture 32, while permitting it to rotate therein as lever 18 is pivoted between its normal operating positions.

When it is desired to remove the hand lever 18 from frame for cleaning or other purposes, thelever is swung clockwise from its FIG. 3 position, which carries its stud 30 downwardly within slot 35. As the lever reaches a position approximately 60 from horizontal, stud 30 moves into engagement with the straight edge 42c of the latch opening 42. As the swinging of the lever continues to the FIG. 5 position (wherein cutter wheel is located remotely from feed wheel 12), the force of stud on portion 420 of the latch pivots the latch counterclockwise about the pivot screw 39 from its latching position (FIG. 3) to its release position (FIG. 5). In the release position of FIG. 5, notch 42a is separated from groove 26c and pin member 260 imay therefore be withdrawn forwardly from aperture 32 to detach lever 18 from the frame. Since lever 18 is pivoted upwardly not more than about 60 during ordinary operation of the-can opener, stud 30 normally remains in the upper portion of slot and the latch cannot be inadvertently moved from its latching position as the lever is pivoted throughout its normal operating range. However, the hand lever is easily removed when desired by simply swinging it to the extreme position of FIG. 5 and pulling it from the frame.

Turning nowto the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 through 9, the principal components of the can opener are similar to those described with respect to the first embodiment. However, there are various differences which change the appearance of the can opener as well as the operational characteristics involved in installing and removing the hand lever 118 of the second embodiment from front frame panel a. As previously described, a rotary feed wheel 112 is rotated forwardly of front frame panel 110a by a motor (not shown). Also as described, a can piercing hand lever 118 carries a cutter wheel 120 on its forward surface and includes a pin assembly comprising a forwardly extending can guide 126 and a rearwardly extending pin member 126a (not shown) having a tapered end 126b and an annular groove l26c (not shown). However, stud 30"which was previously described as extending from lever 18 is not included in the handlever assembly-118. The rounded heel portion of lever 1 18, which is located at the lower left hand corner thereof, is hereafter designated by the numeral 11812.

Again, frame-panel 110a includes a bearinged aperture 132 (not shown) inwhich pin member 126 is rotatably positional to mount the hand lever on the frame. However, in the second embodiment, the arcuate frame slot 35 is replaced by a reshaped and repositionend slot 135. As seen in FIG. 6 (or from the front), slot 135 comprises a short elliptical opening which angles upwardly from right to left and which extends through frame panel 110a at a location below and slightly to the left of aperture 132.

A modified plate type latch 138 is mounted for limited pivotal movement on the rear surface of frame panel 110a and biased to the FIG. 7 position by a spring 141, as previously related. However, unlike latch 38, latch 138 includes a stud (or rod member) extending forwardly therefrom. Stud 130 is secured at an intermediate position on the front surface of the latch 138 and extends considerably forwardly of the front surface of the frame panel 110a through elliptical slot 135, in which it is movable. In place of the irregular opening 42, latch 138 has a substantially keyhole shaped opening 142 formed through its upper portion and above stud 130. With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 it is seen that the left side of opening 142 comprises a small circular notch 142a sized to become engaged within annular groove 126c of the pin member and the right side of the opening comprises a larger circular portion 142b of a size greater than the diameter of the pin member.

To pivotally mount the hand lever 118 of the second embodiment on frame 110, pin member 126a is aligned with the frame aperture 132 and the lever is pushed rearwardly toward the frame. Due to the small size of the notch 1420 (which, because of the biasing force of spring 141, is located adjacently behind aperture 132), the tapered end portion 126b of the pin member will engage latch 138 to preclude its full insertion into the aperture. As lever 118 is then pivoted counterclockwise to the extreme broken line position of FIG. 6 (wherein cutter wheel 120 is disposed remotely from feed wheel 112) the heel portion ll8b thereof engages stud 130 to move the stud from the upper left hand portion (as viewed in FIG. 6) to the lower right hand portion of slot 135, until it engages the right edge of the slot to preclude further counterclockwise movement of lever 118. The connected latch 138 is thus pivoted counterclockwise (as viewed in FIG. 7) about its pivot screw 139 from the spring biased FIG. 7 position to the position of FIG. 8, wherein the large circular portion 142 b is located directly behind aperture 132. Because of the large opening presented by portion 142b, the pin member may then be fully inserted in aperture 132 by pushing lever 118 rearwardly adjacent the frame. In the fully inserted position, the annular groove 126C of the pin member is in alignment with the latch. As lever 118 is then allowed to swing counterclockwise from the FIG. 8 position, its heel portion 11817 is moved from engagement with stud 130 and the force of spring 141 pivots latch 138 from the release position of FIG. 8 to the latching position of FIG. 7. The small notch 142a is thus moved to the right and caused to register with groove 126621116 latch portion surrounding notch 142a then engages the pin member within the groove so as to retain it in aperture 132, while permitting it to rotate therein as lever 118 is pivoted in its normal operating environment.

To remove lever 118 from the frame for cleaning or other purposes, the lever is pivoted to the extreme broken line position of FIG. 6, whereby its heel portion 118b engageably pushes rod 130 to the lower right hand portion of opening 135. Such movement of rod 130 pivots the connected latch 138 from the latching position of FIG. 7 to the release position of FIG. 8, wherein pin member 126a maybe withdrawn forwardly through enlarged opening portion l42b and frame aperture 132 to detach the hand lever 118 from frame 110. It is noted that heel portion ll8b of the lever will not engage rod 130 to release the pin member unless the lever is pivoted approximately 60 from horizontal, a position beyond its normal operating range.

Turning now to the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, nearly all of the components thereof are substantially identical to those of the first embodiment and thus only the changed portions of the can opener are illustrated. A principal difference in the third embodiment is that a curved spring washer 241 is utilized in place of the tension spring designated by numeral 41 in the first embodiment. Also, because of the absence of the tension spring in the third embodiment, the shoulder screw 240 does not include a rearwardly projecting cylindrical stud portion (formerly designated 40), nor does latch 238 include a rearwardly extending arm (formerly designated 38b).

Shoulder screw 240 extends through an arcuate slot 238a in the upper portion of latch 238 and is threaded into the front frame panel to help maintain the latch adjacent the frame and limit its pivotal movement, as related previously in the description of the first embodiment. However, in the third embodiment a flat circular washer 244 and a curved spring washer 241 are fitted around the shank 240a of the shoulder screw and interposed between latch 238 and the head portion 240b of the screw, as illustrated in FIG. 11. The spring washer 241 thus continuously urges latch 238 against the adjacent frame panel 210a, and the resulting friction between the latch and the frame panel acts to yieldably bias the latch against movement relative to the frame panel.

To pivotally mount the hand lever 218 of the third embodiment on the front frame panel2l0a, the lever is positioned with pin member 226a aligned with aperture 232 and stud 230 aligned with the extreme bottom portion of arcuate slot 235. (The rotative position of the lever is thus substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment.) It is noted that when the lever is detached from the frame, the action of spring washer 241 upon latch 238 retains the latch in a release position (the same as FIG. 5) wherein notch 242a is offset from frame aperture 232. The lever 218 may therefore be pushed rearwardly against the frame panel to fully insert pin 226a and stud 230 in their respective frame openings. The full insertion of the pin member in aperture 232 aligns its annular groove 226( with latch 238. When the lever is then swung counterclockwise (as viewed in FIG. 10), stud 230 is moved upwardly in slot 235 and thereby caused to engage the right or upper edge of the semicircular notch portion 242b. As stud 230 continues its upward movement in slot 235, it begins to pivot latch 238 clockwise about its pivot screw 239 by camming action against the right edge of opening 242. Stud 230 continues its camming action against the smoothly curved contour of edge 242a to ultimately pivot the latch to the full latching position of FIG. 10 when it has been moved to the top end of the slot 235. The action of spring washer 241 thereafter yieldably retains the latch in the FIG. 10 latching position, wherein the small notch 242a fits into r e 2. 2 qfthepinz qnber andthe por of h latch surrounding notch 242a engages the pin member within the groove to lock lever 218 on the frame, while permitting it to pivot in its normal operating environment. Coaction between the arcuate slot 235 and stud 230 positively prevents unlatching during normal operation of the can opener.

Lever 218 is detached from frame panel 210a by pivoting it clockwise from the FIG. 10 position to an extreme clockwise position wherein cutter wheel 220 (not shown) is moved away from feed wheel 212 (not shown) and stud 230 is moved to the bottom end of arcuate slot 235. Such movement of stud 230 causes it to engage the straight edge 2426 of the latch opening 242 and to thereby pivot latch 238 counterclockwise from its FIG. 10 latching position to a release position wherein notch 242a is offset to the left of aperture 232. Notch 242a is thus separated from annular groove 226C and the pin member may be withdrawn forwardly from its aperture to remove lever 218 from the frame. Again, latch 238 is moved from its latching position only as lever 218 is swung upwardly more than 60 from horizontal, a position outside of the normal operating environment of the lever.

It is noted that all three embodiments provide a latch that is positively precluded from moving from the fully latched position during normal operation of the can opener, in which the can piercing hand lever is pivoted only between its horizontal rest position and a position approximately 60 upwardly therefrom.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects herein set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations.

, This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a can opener having an upright frame, a rotary feed wheel and means for rotating said feed wheel, the combination therewith of:

a hand lever carrying a cutting element thereon;

a pin member extending from said hand lever, said pin member removably insertable in an aperture in said frame and rotatable therein to pivotally mount said hand lever on said frame;

a latch member supported on said frame for movement between a latching position wherein the inserted pin member is engagingly retained in said frame aperture and a release position wherein said pin member is removable from said frame aperture; and

a stud extending from one of said hand lever and said latch member, the selective pivotal movement of said hand lever effecting engagement between said stud and the other of said hand lever and said latch member to move said latch member from the latching position to the release position.

2. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said latch member is supported on said frame for pivotal movement between the latching and release positions.

3. The combination as in claim 2, said latch member being pivoted from the latching position to the release position by the pivotal movement of said hand lever to an extreme position wherein said cutting member is disposed remotely from said feed wheel.

4. The combination as in claim 3, including means for yieldably biasing said latch toward the latching position.

5. The combination as in claim 4, wherein said stud extends from said hand lever at a position offset from said pin member, the movement of said hand lever to said extreme position carrying said stud into engagement with said latch member to thereby pivot said latch member from the latching position to the release position.

6. The combination as in claim 4, wherein said stud extends from said latch member at a position offset from the pivot axis thereof, the movement of said hand lever to said extreme position carrying a portion thereof into engagement with said stud to thereby pivot said latch member from the latching position to the release position.

7. The combination as in claim 3, including means for yieldably biasing said latch member against movement.

8. The combination as in claim 7, wherein said stud extends from said hand lever at a position offset from said pin member, the movement of said hand lever to said extreme position carrying said rod member into engagement with said latch member to thereby pivot said latch member from the latching position to the release position.

9. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said pin member has an annular groove formed therein and said latch member includes a notched portion, said notched portion being engaged within said groove when said latch member is in the latching position and separated from said groove when said latch member is in the release position. 

1. In a can opener having an upright frame, a rotary feed wheel and means for rotating said feed wheel, the combination therewith of: a hand lever carrying a cutting element thereon; a pin member extending from said hand lever, said pin member removably insertable in an aperture in said frame and rotatable therein to pivotally mount said hand lever on said frame; a latch member supported on said frame for movement between a latching position wherein the inserted pin member is engagingly retained in said frame aperture and a release position wherein said pin member is removable from said frame aperture; and a stud extending from one of said hand lever and said latch member, the selective pivotal movement of said hand lever effecting engagement between said stud and the other of said hand lever and said latch member to move said latch member from the latching position to the release position.
 2. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said latch member is supported on said frame for pivotal movement between the latching and release positions.
 3. The combination as in claim 2, said latch member being pivoted from the latching position to the release position by the pivotal movement of said hand lever to an extreme position wherein said cutting member is disposed remotely from said feed wheel.
 4. The combination as in claim 3, including means for yieldably biasing said latch toward the latching position.
 5. The combination as in claim 4, wherein said stud extends from said hand lever at a position offset from said pin member, the movement of said hand lever to said extreme position carrying said stud into engagement with said latch member to thereby pivot said latch member from the latching position to the release position.
 6. The combination as in claim 4, wherein said stud extends from said latch member at a position offset from the pivot axis thereof, the movement of said hand lever to said extreme position carrying a portion thereof into engagement with said stud to thereby pivot said latch member from the latching position to the release position.
 7. The combination as in claim 3, including means for yieldably biasing said latch member against movement.
 8. The combination as in claim 7, wherein said stud extends from said Hand lever at a position offset from said pin member, the movement of said hand lever to said extreme position carrying said rod member into engagement with said latch member to thereby pivot said latch member from the latching position to the release position.
 9. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said pin member has an annular groove formed therein and said latch member includes a notched portion, said notched portion being engaged within said groove when said latch member is in the latching position and separated from said groove when said latch member is in the release position. 